Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

There is very intentional phrase that is used eleven times in Genesis at specific transitional points in the book.

It is the phrase, “these are the generations of _____”, and it is meant to be a title that introduces the next section and a link that connects the next section with what just came before it.

(footnote of all occurences in Genesis) Another way that you might interpret this phrase is, “here is a fuller development of the story of _____.”

When we get to , we notice that the rhythms, repetitions and patterns of stop.

The introductory song is complete, and now we are entering into the story.

And the story begins with the phrase that we just mentioned:

“These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.”

()

4 These are the generations

This is the title introducing us to the next section which will be a fuller development of the story of the heavens and the earth.

It is providing a link between the introductory song about our Creator in and this intimate story about the origins of humanity that begins in .

And the scenes in these two chapters are strikingly similar, but the change in tone and focus are obvious.

The spotlight has shifted onto humanity now.

of the heavens and the earth when they were created,

The story begins much like the previous chapter.

The land is portrayed as an uninhabited wild wasteland covered with water (5-6), but this time it is also portrayed as somewhat awaiting the arrival of humanity.

And we must not overlook the fact that even God is referred to in a much more intimate way.

In , we were introduced to Elohim (translated ‘God’); in , he is now referred to much more personally as Yahweh Elohim (translated ‘the Lord God’).

As David Atkinson points out:

The story begins much like the previous chapter.

The land is portrayed as an uninhabited wild wasteland covered with water, but God brings order and life to what previously formless and void.

“Our focus of interest is no longer the cosmic perspective of the One who made the stars.

It is the intimacy of fellowship with the One who calls Man by his name.”

Atkinson, D. (1990).

The Message of : The Dawn of Creation.

(J. A. Motyer & D. Tidball, Eds.) (p.

54).

England: Inter-Varsity Press.

Whereas the primary focus in was God as the Creator of the cosmos, now the focus become more set on humanity here on earth.

Who are we and what does it mean to be human?

The garden story in gives us an answer:

We are the resident caretakers of the creation made for loving community with one another and trusting obedience towards God.

The spotlight has shifted onto humanity now, and even God is referred to in a much more intimate way.

In , we were introduced to Elohim (translated ‘God’); in , he is now referred to as Yahweh Elohim (translated ‘the Lord God’).

The spotlight has shifted onto humanity now, and even God is referred to in a much more intimate way.

In , we were introduced to Elohim (translated ‘God’); in , he is now referred to as Yahweh Elohim (translated ‘the Lord God’).

in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

As David Atkinson points out:

“Our focus of interest is no longer the cosmic perspective of the One who made the stars.

It is the intimacy of fellowship with the One who calls Man by his name.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Our focus of interest is no longer the cosmic perspective of the One who made the stars.

It is the intimacy of fellowship with the One who calls Man by his name.

Atkinson, D. (1990).

The Message of : The Dawn of Creation.

(J. A. Motyer & D. Tidball, Eds.) (p.

54).

England: Inter-Varsity Press.

Humanity was created to be the resident caretakers of the creation who were made for loving fellowship with one another and trusting obedience towards God.

Context: explain relationship to chapter 1 (historical reporting vs song) and explain the scene and condition of the land — it’s still portraying order and life from what was previously a wild wasteland covered with water (the word used here for dust “dama” which is a play on “Adam” is not the Hebrew word that means the dry dirt “apar”).

But this land is also portrayed as waiting for the man’s arrival.

The spotlight of the story is now on man.

We were created with a special relationship with the creation, with one another and with God, and when any of these relationships are missing or become fractured, we lose a significant element of what it means to be human.

And so, lets look at each one of these relationships as they are originally portrayed here in the garden story.

Our Relationship with Creation

begins the story of humanity by once again describing God bringing order and life to what was previously formless and void.

From out of the watery wasteland described in verses 2:5-6, we read that:

“The Lord God formed the man out of the dirt from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

()

This one verse, with profound simplicity, reveals the common but yet complex nature of human beings in relation to the rest of creation.

On the one hand, we are living creatures (footnote about the same Hebrew word being used in 1:20, 24 to describe sea creatures and land creatures) like the other animals that are made up of the common chemicals associated with the natural world (from the ground).

(footnote on the Hebrew word play for Adam and ground - adamah) But on the other hand, there is a supernatural element given to humanity that we do not see God giving to any other creature in creation.

The Lord God formed humanity from the mud like a potter forms a lump of clay into a new pot (footnote to see ), and then God breathed into humanity the breath of life.

This verse seems to match and complete the general statement made about the creation of humanity in .

The Lord God carefully formed humanity in his image and intimately breathed into him his own life and likeness.

While human beings have much in common with other living beings, we are much more than the mere by-product of natural processes and the reigning champions of the survival of the fittest competition.

And deep down, we can sense this inner paradox of our own existence.

As G.K. Chesterton puts it:

The same term in Hebrew is used in 1:20, 24 to denote sea and land creatures.

While human beings have much in common with other living beings,

“The simplest truth about man is that he is a very strange being; almost in the sense of being a stranger on the earth.

In all sobriety, he has much more of the external appearance of one bringing alien habits from another land than of a mere growth of this one.“

(Chesterton)

“The simplest truth about man is that he is a very strange being; almost in the sense of being a stranger on the earth.

In all sobriety, he has much more of the external appearance of one bringing alien habits from another land than of a mere growth of this one.“

(Chesterton)

We know that there is something uniquely different about us, and we sense that there is a purpose behind our existence that exceeds the purpose of any other creature.

And regardless of our worldview or spiritual beliefs, human beings know that we have the leading role when it comes to taking care of this world.

We feel an instinctive responsibility towards the rest of the creation, and the author of Genesis seeks to tell us why.

Combining what we see in and , we read:

“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put humanity whom he had formed… to work it and to keep it… And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the land.””

Human beings are the resident caretakers of God’s entire creation.

Like a tenant that you place in your own home to take care of the place on your behalf, we have been entrusted with the role and responsibility of cultivating and preserving the resources of God’s own creation.

We are not permitted to exploit the earth or its creatures in order to satisfy our own greed or selfishness; we must take care of the place with the same sense of concern and care that God has as the owner of the creation.

As the psalms tell us:

“The earth is the LORD's… but the earth he has given to man.” (, )

but the earth he has given to the children of man.

(, )

To understand who we are, we must understand our relationship with the creation.

We are created creatures made from the same natural chemicals common to all creatures.

Therefore, we must not exalt ourselves to the level of gods.

But we are complex creatures carefully formed by our Creator in his image and intimately given his supernatural life and likeness.

Therefore, we must not reduce ourselves to mere animals.

God has delegated His creation to human beings granting us the priviledged position of cooperating with Him to preserve and develop its resources for the common good of the entire creation.

We are to rule over every living thing on the earth, but are not permitted to exploit the earth or its creatures in order to satisfy human greed and excessive living.

As respresentatives of God made “in the image of God” () there is an expectation on us to use the earth wisely and govern it with the same sense of responsibility and care that God has for His created world.

While we ought to never elevate the creation to the point of reverance and worship, it is our duty to respect the creation enough to exercise responsible stewardship with it.

God has delegated His creation to human beings granting us the priviledged position of cooperating with Him to preserve and develop its resources for the common good of the entire creation.

We are to rule over every living thing on the earth, but are not permitted to exploit the earth or its creatures in order to satisfy human greed and excessive living.

FCF: misunderstanding of rule and dominion (too elevated view of humanity) / borderline worship of the creation and reducing humanity to be of equal status with certain aspects of the creation (too high a view of creation)

We are the resident caretakers of the creation.

To be truly human means that we should be bothered by disorder and destruction in this world, and that we ought to never feel at home in a world full of chaos and corruption.

We exhibit our truest humanity whenever we “confront the formless and disordered places of our world, and of our lives, and make them places of beauty and goodness.”